The Pittsburgh Penguins have struggled in the playoffs over the past three years, a period that closely resembles their previous four-year drought from 2002 to 2006. What’s baffling though is that before 2022 the Penguins had consistently made the playoffs for sixteen straight years, so to be missing them so consistently in the recent past is worrying, especially for some players who’ve still clearly got the chops, but are coming up to the latter halves of their careers and might want a real shot at parading that cup around town one last time! Such as Sidney Crosby, for example.

Crosby only seems to get better with time, and though his team didn’t qualify for the playoffs, he managed to individually break a Gretzky record by completing 20 straight seasons where he averaged at least a point per game; Gretzky had the record at 19. So, realistically, if Crosby did want to head somewhere else, when his contract is up in the 2026-2027 season (he signed the two-year extension in September 2024), then he could, but now some news has emerged as to what it is that will keep Crosby with the Penguins.

According to sports journalist Greg Wyshynski, inside sources have confirmed that Sidney Crosby will stick around for as long as Evgeni Malkin sticks around. “I’ve heard to many people that kind of know him [Sidney Crosby] and know that situation that tell me that’s he’s here as long as Geno’s there; if Geno’s there for one more year, then all bets are off as far as where Sid ends up,” Wyshynski assured in a recent episode of The Sheet with Jeff Marek. Earlier, the ESPN journalist had wondered if Crosby would choose to stick around to mentor 2026 No. 1 prospect Gavin McKenna should the Penguins choose to land the latter. However, even then, he had warned, “We all pretty much figure that Crosby’s out after Malkin’s out, which is after next season.” And that’s exactly where things could get really gloomy for the Penguins faithful. Because it’s unlikely that Malkin will stay with the Penguins beyond the 2025-26 season.

In fact, he may not stay in the NHL at all if the Penguins choose not to renew his contract (which seems very likely). “I retire with Pittsburgh. The Penguins are my team. I love this team. When I retire it’s here,” Malkin told The Athletic in February, quashing all speculation of him playing out the final days of his career in the KHL. But as Wyshynski said, if the Penguins do pull off a surprise deal and keep Malkin for another year, Crosby will stay. After all, Malkin and he have shared an iconic partnership on the Penguins team both on and off the ice. With Crosby having played with the Penguins for 20 seasons and Malkin for 19, this isn’t some sort of fleeting friendship we’re talking about.

Sidney Crosby sticking around for Malkin makes complete sense

Working together on the ice for nearly twenty years is bound to build chemistry, and that’s exactly what Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin share, not to mention three Stanley Cups in 2009, 2016, and 2017. So what’s one more, really? The duo is largely considered one of the best partnerships since the hit of the millennium, and it was Crosby and Malkin who saw the Penguins through their 16 consecutive playoff appearances.

The two also seem to have fun together, sharing banter ever so often. In 2017, when Crosby scored his 1000th NHL point, this is what Malkin said, “Hey, Sid. I want to say congrats on your 1,000 points. It’s a huge number. We both know that 999 [of those] is because of my help.” Further, just last year, when Crosby hadn’t signed an extension yet, and the rumor mill was working overtime, Malkin wasn’t worried at all. “Pittsburgh is Crosby. Crosby is Pittsburgh. No one in Pittsburgh would understand if he changed teams,” so it seems like the feeling is definitely mutual.

Of Malkin, Sidney Crosby has shared the same sort of affection over the years, and he really enjoys the Russian’s company. “He likes to poke fun at guys, but he’s also really supportive. Like, he’ll be the first guy to tap a guy or say hello to a guy. He’s got a big heart.” Crosby added, “I think that part you probably don’t see as much, but there have definitely been lots of examples of that over the years.” So, there you have it, a friendship stronger than ambition, but really, if they were to both win a fourth Stanley Cup, what better way to do it than together?